Jake Walman Shares Origin of Will Smith’s New Nickname

Correction: Will Smith’s nickname is “Puppy”.

I've learned that some #SJSharks players call Will Smith "Little Puppy"

— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) November 1, 2024

The nickname, catching on in the San Jose Sharks locker room, was originated by defenseman Jake Walman, from a lyric in Luh Tyler and Bossman Dlow’s NSFW song “2 Slippery”.

Sharks color commentator Drew Remenda reported it first, after Will Smith scored his first NHL goal on Thursday night against the Chicago Blackhawks. The 19-year-old would add another, the eventual game-winner in a Sharks’ 3-2 victory.

“She don’t want no puppy, she want a big dog,” Bossman Dlow rapped.

“Him and I just kind of like vibe with this one song,” Walman said, stressing “Puppy” is just a reference to Smith’s youth and nothing more, no NSFW meaning. “Soon he’ll be a big dog. That night he was a big dog, but most of the time, he’s a puppy.”

The baby-faced assassin countered, smiling, “It’s definitely his vibe. His song.”

“Smitty”, however, doesn’t mind the new nickname.

“We have two Smitty’s too, so I probably need a new name anyway,” Smith said, referring to himself and Givani Smith. “Pre-season, when [head coach Ryan Warsofsky] said Smitty’s line, we were like looking around.”

Anyway, good times are clearly reigning in the San Jose Sharks locker room, as both Smith and the Sharks have broken protracted slumps. Smith went his first eight NHL games without a goal before breaking out, and San Jose is riding a three-game winning streak after starting the season with nine straight losses.

And as nicknames do in the locker room, it sounds like “Puppy” is already evolving. The San Jose Sharks super-prospect was also called “Kibble” after Saturday’s morning skate, on the eve of their match-up against the Vancouver Canucks.